


always here

by Okumen



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-04-25 15:49:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4966915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okumen/pseuds/Okumen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kouen wakes up on the floor one night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	always here

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this with chapter 281 in mind. Not that it has anything to do with it but... Yeah.

Kouen wakes up on the floor one night. It's cold on the floor, and he notices that it's unfamiliar, but then he remembers that he's in Reim, and that they have smaller beds than in the imperial palace in Kou. Maybe the palace here have bigger beds too, but he's staying as a guest in the Alexius family's manor, and they have the standard beds, despite being nobility. Or maybe that didn't matter to them. He looked up at the sound of a knock on his door, and realizes that it probably was a knock that woke him up, too. As he climbs to his feet, he untangles from the blanket and adjusts his robe and hair so he looks as presentable as he can on such short notice, at this time of day.

When he opens the door he is not as all surprised to find the captain of the fanalis corps to be standing outside. He raises an eyebrow at the man, who looks unusually unsettled and distant, and he steps to the side to let him in. He closes the door behind him, and leans his back against it as he watches Mu nervously move about the small room. "Yes?" he finally asks, when Mu offers no explanation to his presence. The fanalis' head jerks up, and he looks at Kouen with wide eyes, an almost wild look in them. Kouen frowns, and pushes away from the door. "Captain?" He reaches out and lightly touches Mu's face, and the man jumps.

Then suddenly, he pulls Kouen close in a tight hug, squishing Kouen's arm between their bodies and making Kouen both startled and breathless. "What's," Kouen coughs, finding it a bit hard to breathe. "M-Mu..!" He slaps his shoulder with his free hand, and tries to wriggle his trapped one free.

Just as suddenly as he was embraced, Mu takes a hasty step back, and Kouen gasps, finally getting air in his lungs. Then he hears a confused voice. "Mas... Master Kou...en?" Kouen looks up, and sees that Mu seems to be very confused. "What?" Kouen asks, rubbing his arm. He wonders if it would bruise, considering the force Mu had used when he pulled him close. "Um..." Mu's confused expression isn't letting up. "What's going on...?"

Kouen is silent, blinking in surprise. He frowns. "That's what I would like to know. You suddenly showed up at my door, came inside and didn't say anything, then you suddenly hugged me," he elaborates, when Mu still looks just as confused. "What are you up to?"

"I'm not up to anything..." Mu frowns, as he tries to figure out what is happening. "I know that lately, I've..." he falls silent. Kouen's frown deepens, and he comes closer to Mu, takes him by the hand without any hesitation, and leads him to sit down on the bed. He sits down beside him, and turns to look at him, one leg pulled halfway up on the bed. "Lately you have, what?" he urges. Mu bites his lip, clutching to Kouen's hand. "I've... been having nightmares..." he murmurs, hesitating. Kouen squeezes his hand a little to encourage and comfort, and Mu pulls in a sharp breath. "They're terrifying me, they.... Every time, I, I keep losing you, and I... No matter what I do it's useless, I'm really weak, and your... your life always slips through my fingers and it scares me..." His voice falters, and he goes silent. The same unsettled expression has returned, and now Kouen understands why. He has the same dreams, taking turns with those of his cousins dying, of them hating him...

He leans forward, holding tightly onto Mu's hand as he wraps an arm around him. He presses a kiss to his cheek. "I'm not going to disappear, I'm not going to die. I have too much I still have to do, and," he kisses Mu on the forehead, "too many people how are precious to me." Then he kisses away a tear that rolls from Mu's eye. "And you're not going to lose me. Alright?" Mu nods, and buries his face against Kouen's shoulder, arm wrapping around him and pulling him close. Kouen can feel how his robe slowly grows damp, but says nothing. Mu has always been more the more expressive one in their relationship, and Kouen knows that the man needs to get his emotions out, good or bad, otherwise he won't feel well. He rubs his hand against the big man's back, and rests his cheek against his hair.

"I take it," Kouen says slowly, as he thinks about it. "That you ended up sleepwalking." He expects no answer as Mu tries to still his tears, and does not recieve any. He doesn't mind. "You have to be careful, Mu. What if you hurt yourself? I wouldn't like that." Mu still offers no reply, but that's alright.

After some time, he hears a low, tear-stained chuckle from the folds of fabric. "And you say you're bad at comforting people," Mu murmurs, voice somewhat hoarse. Kouen presses a kiss to Mu's hair. "Did I say that?" he wonders, knowing that he did but still asking. Mu nods. "Yeah." Kouen smiles briefly, a small, concerned smile. It was true, he had no confidence in his abilities to comfort others. But he had allowed himself tell Mu what he felt, and apparently that was what Mu needed. To hear that Kouen has no intentions of leaving him behind.

Mu rubs his face against Kouen's shoulder, and when he pulls away his eyes are red and puffy, and creases from Kouen's robe shows on his cheek. Kouen lets the arm around him slide off, and he brushes his fingers against the crease marks. "Would you like to spend the rest of the night in here?" he asks, and after several moments, Mu slowly nods. Kouen, still holding onto Mu's hand, bends down to pick up the blanket from the floor, and nudges Mu with a leg. "Then move over and lie down," he orders. Again, Mu nods, and does as he has been told. It is a tight fit to share the bed, but with arms around each other and legs tangled together, and the clasp of their hands slightly shifted, it works out. Kouen runs his fingers through Mu's hair, and he presses a kiss to his lips. "Now sleep, captain, and when you wake up, I'll be right here." Mu tiredly smiles up at him, and pulls him close. "Kouen... Thank you," he murmurs, and Kouen gives him a small smile, before he gives him one last good night kiss.


End file.
